Elizabeth is Missing // Book Review // Hit or Miss?

Hi guys.

Well well well, I have finally finished reading Elizabeth is Missing so of course it's time for a review.

For those of you who know me, and read the post in which I purchased said book, it seems quite out of character for it to have taken me this long to read it. But alas it was no mean feat! 

I had such high hopes for Elizabeth is Missing, from the blurb, the testimonials, the quotes from clever people dotted all over the cover, I thought to myself "my, my AJ we're in for a treat here"! But if there was a treat inside, I missed it. 

The story itself was fine, the premise fantastic, but the execution? Slow, plodding, and may I say predictable? 

For those of you unfamiliar with this book the plot is as follows: Elizabeth is Missing...our main character suffers from dementia and although she can barely remember her own family, or the simplest things, she always remembers that her best friend is missing. But as the blurb asks "how can you solve a mystery when you can't remember the clues?" 

The aspect of dementia is handled impeccably! That is this book's shining point. You are lead into Maud's world of living with dementia almost instantly and you grow to sympathise with not only Maud but also her long-suffering daughter. The text makes you share in Maud's confused mental state, the story jumps from past to present, real to imagined, lucid to confused...all the while moving along closer and closer to its resolution. 

However, we are not Maud. We do not suffer from confusion and we (or at least I) quickly figured out where this story was heading, and I got there far faster than the author. 

I realise I sound really mean, and I hate that, but it has to be said. Here, let me reiterate...I DID like the story, I DID love how the author handled such a frequently ignored condition, I DID think her writing was impeccable, I just DID NOT like the pace and predictability of this book. And I know I'm not alone, many of the 140 character reviews I've read on Twitter have made issue with how long this book takes to get to the point. But maybe that's the point? Maybe we are supposed to feel like we are constantly waiting for something to make sense because that is how Maud feels?? I don't know! 

What I do know is that I will happily read anything else the author writes, but I probably won't be re-reading this in a hurry. 

Have you read Elizabeth is Missing? What did you think? Am I being too harsh? I'd love to know what you think...and also if you have any book recommendations for me, I'm all ears (or eyes, whatever). 

Much Love 

AJ 

xx